In the Father's Eyes
by FaithInHim4ever
Summary: Third Celine Rose story.  While attending an acting camp, Celine learns the value of being a true winner.  Meanwhile, Tess and Gloria clash when Tess must keep something from her.  Can Celine help them make up again?
1. Tess's Secret

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the characters from TBAA. They belong to Martha Williamson and CBS. Anyone you don't recognize, I do own.

Remember, God loves you!

A/N: This is the third story in my Celine Rose series. I hope everyone likes it! The first story is called Love Can Move Mountains and the second one is called When You Can't Move the Mountain.

In this story, Celine is ten years old.

"In the Father's Eyes"

Ten year old Celine Rose Casey grinned as she made her way onto the bus that would take her away from home for the next two weeks.

Celine, along with thirteen other girls were attending an acting and singing camp for girl's ages eight to twelve years old. Celine had been going to this camp since she was eight years old and she enjoyed it very much.

As Celine got comfortable in her seat, she smiled. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that this time, it was going to be a summer she would never forget.

As the bus pulled away, two angels stood in the corner by the school, watching it leave.

As the bus pulled out of the parking lot, the younger of the two angels turned to the older one.

"Are we here for Celine?" The younger of the two smiled eagerly as she watched the bus leave.

The older angel nodded as she placed a loving hand on the younger one's shoulder.

"Yes, we are, little angel. But this assignment isn't going to be as easy as you think."

The younger angel, Gloria, nodded, although she had a look of puzzlement on her face.

"What do you mean, Tess? I like helping people, especially Celine. What can be so hard about that?"

The older angel, Tess, sighed as she regarded Gloria with something close to irritation on her wise features. She prayed Monica would return soon, but Tess knew that Monica was on her own assignment.

The Father had placed Tess and Gloria together for two reasons. Tess knew what those reasons were, but that didn't stop her from glancing up at the Heavens for patience.

Tess knew the Father had placed her and Gloria together on this assignment so that they would be able to bond a little more. Tess also knew she had been placed on this assignment due to her beautiful singing ability. Everyone who knew her or met her said she sung like an angel.

Gloria had a beautiful singing voice as well, but she was going to be there to give Celine moral support, and therefore, she wouldn't be doing much singing.

"Father, give me strength with this child." Tess muttered, before leading the way to her car. "Give me strength."

Gloria gazed at Tess in concern as she slid into the front passenger's side of the car.

Tess had given the car to Monica, but Monica had allowed Tess to borrow it for this assignment.

"Tess, are you okay?" Gloria asked, concern in her voice. "You seem tense."

Tess sighed as she tried to relax and make the best of the situation.

It wasn't that Tess didn't love Gloria, far from it. Lord knew how much Tess loved the youngest angel. It was just that sometimes Gloria's constant questions got to the eldest angel's nerves.

"I'm fine, Gloria." Tess replied, praying she would be by the time this assignment was over.

"Are you sure?" Gloria asked, putting a hand on Tess's shoulder. "You seem stressed out."

Tess nodded.

"I'm sure." Tess replied, starting the car and pulling out of the same parking lot that the bus had vacated nearly twenty minutes before.

"Okay, if you say so." Gloria said, a little uncertainly. She then brightened and changed the subject as fast as lightning. "Can I drive on the way back, please? Monica's been teaching me and I've gotten a lot better at it since the last time I drove the car."

Tess sighed heavily. She could feel a tension headache coming on.

"Lord, don't remind me." Tess replied, referring to the first time Gloria had driven her car.

Gloria, oblivious for the moment at Tess's growing frustration, repeated her earlier question.

"So, can I drive on the way back? Please?"

"No, Gloria. You cannot drive the car on the way back." Tess replied, putting emphasis on the word "no" and "drive" so Gloria would get the point.

Gloria frowned.

"But Monica always let's me…" Gloria's voice trailed off at the look Tess was giving her. "Okay." With that, Gloria got out a book and started to read it, allowing Tess to have some peace and quiet for the next half an hour to forty-five minutes.

It wasn't until they had almost reached their destination, that Tess realized Gloria had been quiet now for far too long. She guessed it had to do with their earlier confrontation and Tess wanted to make sure she hadn't scared Gloria by accident.

Ever since Gloria had been attacked and raped a few years ago, she was sensitive to people shouting at her or getting irritated with her, especially men. She was also like this around Tess, due to Tess making a huge mistake after Gloria's attack.

Tess took a deep breath before attempting a conversation with Gloria. She really did love her and the last thing Tess wanted to do was scare her.

"Gloria, can we talk, honey?" Tess asked, making sure her tone was full of nothing but sincere love and concern. The last thing she needed was Gloria freaking out, which would result in her not being able to do the assignment at all.

Gloria gazed up from her book and chanced a glance at Tess. She saw that Tess's earlier irritation was gone, so she nodded, praying she wasn't in trouble.

"Gloria, I'm sorry." Tess began, keeping her eyes focused on Gloria the whole time she was speaking. "I didn't mean to scare you if I did. I'm not mad at you, little angel. I'm just frustrated that…" Tess's voice trailed off and Gloria filled in the blanks for her, her voice full of sadness and a hint of hurt in it.

"You're frustrated that you're stuck on another assignment with me. I'm sorry. I know you don't understand me like Monica does and that you don't like being on assignments with me. I know I frustrate you."

Tess shook her head as she tried to fight back tears. Even though some of what Gloria had said was true, Tess hadn't meant to hurt her feelings.

"Gloria, I didn't mean to make you feel that way. It's not you personally, sweetheart. I love you just the way God created you. It's just that…you're right in that I don't understand you like Monica does. But I LOVE doing assignments with you. I LOVE sharing the job of delivering God's message of love with you and teaching you what it's like to be an angel of God. I think that's why God assigned us to this case, so I could learn to understand you more. I do love you, little angel. I do. It's just I have a lot on my mind."

"You can talk to me, you know. I am a good listener." Gloria offered, giving Tess a weak smile. "And I've been told I give some pretty good advice as well."

Tess smiled in return as she held her arms out to the youngest angel.

"That's sweet of you, Gloria. It really is, but I have to work this out on my own. But I promise, I'll try hard not to take it out on you."

"Did I do something wrong?" Gloria asked, her question nearly breaking Tess's heart.

"Not at all, baby. It's not you at all. I promise. It's just…something's going to happen soon and it's not good."

Gloria's eyes surveyed Tess worriedly.

"Tess, what is it?" Gloria asked, her attention now on nothing but the wise angel beside her. "What's going on? Please tell me? I promise I won't tell anyone, not even Monica. Please?"

Tess sighed. She wanted so badly to tell Gloria what she knew, but she couldn't until the Father gave her permission to do so.

"Little angel, I can't, at least not right now. I'm sorry. But I will as soon as the Father tells me I can, I promise. But just know that no matter what happens, I will always love you and I will never stop. Never forget that, okay?"

Gloria nodded as she felt her insides twist with fear.

"Tess, you're scaring me." Gloria said, honestly. "I don't mean you, but what you're saying is scaring me."

Tess reached over and gave Gloria's shoulder a gentle pat.

"I'm scared too, baby. But we have to remember that the Father knows what He's doing. It'll be all right in time. Now, I want you to do your best on this assignment. This assignment isn't only going to help Celine, but it is also going to help you as well. And by the time it's over, you'll understand everything."

Gloria nodded, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

"The Father isn't taking Monica away from me, is He?" Gloria asked, her voice full of uncertainty and a hint of tears in it.

Tess shook her head honestly.

"No. I can honestly say you and Monica will not be separated from each other. I promise. When Monica comes back, she'll be your supervisor again."

Gloria nodded, a swell of relief sweeping through her heart. But as quickly as the relief had come, it disappeared almost immediately as a new and horrible thought crossed the youngest angel's mind.

"The Father isn't assigning you somewhere else, is He? You're not leaving me and Monica, are you?"

Tess didn't answer, which lead Gloria to believe she was right. She let the tears fall as her mind raced with unanswered questions.

Tess saw Gloria's tears and did the only thing she could think of. She reached out and pulled Gloria to her, trying to calm her down. She was grateful that Gloria was allowing her to hold her again.

Tess still had to ask most of the time, but then there were times like this when Tess didn't need permission to do so.

"Oh little angel, listen to me, it's gonna be okay. Everything's gonna be all right. Like I said, you'll understand in time."

"You can't leave!" Gloria cried, her tears becoming thick and her grip on Tess's shoulder tightening. "He can't take you away from us! It's not fair! Please, don't go! Please!" Gloria was working herself up fast and Tess had to calm her down and quickly.

"Gloria? Gloria, little angel, calm down. It's all right. I promise, it's gonna be okay." Tess assured her, trying her best to keep her voice level.

"No it's not! You're leaving us!" Gloria insisted, more tears falling from her brown eyes like a spring shower.

Tess sighed. Instead of catering to Gloria's words, she tried to calm her the only way she knew how. She hugged the youngest angel close and used her gift of song to get through to Gloria.

By the time Tess was done singing Gloria's favorite song, "The Lord Moves in Mysterious Ways," Gloria was calm down, but she was still crying and clinging to Tess as though the world was coming to an end.

"Tess, please!" Gloria cried once again, her tears wetting Tess's shirt. "Please, don't leave us!"

"Shh, shh, hush now. Gloria, listen to me, we're here, honey. You need to try and calm down. You don't want Celine to see you upset, do you?"

Gloria shook her head as she tried to compose herself.

"Aw, that's my girl. All right. I promise, we can have some cuddle time later. Right now, it's time to start your assignment." With that, Tess got out of the car and took Gloria's hand in hers. She squeezed it for support before giving Gloria a hug and kissing her cheek. "I love you, little angel."

Gloria hugged back and clung on for a minute or so before pulling away.

"I love you too, Tess." Gloria said, trying her best not to start crying again. "I love you too."

"All right, let's get going." With that, Tess and Gloria made their way to the bus that had just pulled into the welcome area of the camp.

As Tess surveyed the fourteen girls that had come for two weeks of fun, discovery and growth, she prayed that the Father would guide them through this assignment safely.


	2. Trying for God

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the characters from TBAA. They belong to Martha Williamson and CBS. Anyone you don't recognize, I do own.

Remember, God loves you!

"In the Father's Eyes"

Chapter 2-Trying for God

Meanwhile, Celine had just opened her eyes to find that they had already arrived at camp. She smiled at the sight and hurried to get her stuff together. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she still had that feeling that she was about to get a pleasant surprise.

As Celine swung her back pack over her shoulder, she smiled. She knew her best friend, Melody Coralsen, was going to be there and Celine couldn't wait to see her. She had really missed spending time with Melody these past few weeks.

Melody and Celine had met during their first time at camp and since then, they had been inseparable.

Melody had talent when it came to playing the piano, just like Celine did. The two would often spend hours together, playing songs or writing ones of their own.

As Celine made sure she had all her stuff together, she heard her name being called from behind her.

"Celine! Hey poor girl!"

Celine whirled around to face her enemy of the last two years. The girl had black hair and grey eyes. She had made it her mission in life to make Celine's life a nightmare.

Celine sighed, praying to God that He would help her not say anything rude in return.

"What do you want, Hillary?" Celine asked, her voice weary and full of annoyance.

"Are you thinking of trying out for the talent show at the end of camp?"

Celine nodded. She had actually been looking forward to that all month. She could sing and she loved acting, so why shouldn't she enter? Besides, she had just as much right to enter as anyone else.

"What if I was?" Celine asked, choosing to stand her ground.

Hillary smirked.

"Well, I wouldn't bother. I'm going to win and there's nothing you can do about it. Besides, they don't let kids with single mothers join anyway."

Celine glared at her as she went to get off the bus. She let Hillary go in front of her, partly out of being polite and partly to get as far away from her as possible.

But as Celine stepped off the last step, she fell, landing on her right knee. She tried not to let the tears come, but it wasn't easy. She had really hit the ground hard.

As Celine brushed herself off, she felt someone put a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up to see none other than Tess, standing there.

"Are you all right, baby?" Tess asked, gazing down at Celine with nothing but compassion in her wise, brown eyes.

Celine nodded, but the tears that brimmed in her eyes told a different story.

Celine tried to smile in greeting, but she wasn't successful. She was hurt and she also was feeling bad about what Hillary had said to her.

"Do you want some help, sweetheart?" Tess asked, extending her hand to Celine.

"Thanks, Tess," Celine said, her voice soft and a hint of disappointment in it.

"You're welcome, honey. Now, do you want to tell me what happened?" Tess asked, letting Celine go as soon as she saw the little girl could walk on her own.

Celine shook her head.

"Is Gloria here?" Celine asked, before blushing in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry, Tess. That was rude. You're trying to help me and…" Celine's voice trailed off as more tears came. "I'm sorry."

Tess shook her head.

"No need to apologize, honey. You didn't offend me at all. Gloria's right over there. In fact, I think you're in her cabin." Tess smiled at Celine, hoping the news would cheer her up. "Do you want me to take you to her?"

Celine nodded.

"Yes, please?" Celine asked, softly.

"Aw, you got it, baby. Come on. Let's go see Gloria." With that, Tess took the child's hand and led her over to Cabin C, which was the cabin Gloria was assigned to.

As they walked, Tess started humming a song Celine knew well and the child brightened slightly. She started singing along with Tess and soon the two were harmonizing "This Little Light of Mine" together.

As they passed Hillary and her group, Hillary gave Celine a smirk before glaring at her.

"Nice try, but not even God likes you're singing, Celine!" She called out, making Celine whirl around and glare right back.

Tess put a hand on her shoulder, cautioning her to let it go, but Celine wasn't about to let Hillary talk about her faith in that way. It was one thing if Hillary made fun of her acting or singing ability, but Celine wasn't going to let this girl mock her faith.

"Show's how much you know!" Celine shouted, her ocean blue eyes staring her enemy down. "God loves it when His children sing for Him! He loves to hear them sing. And besides, God gave me the gift. I'm just thanking Him for it! God gave you gifts too. You should try using them every once in a while." With that, Celine turned around and ran to catch up with Tess.

The angel had watched the exchange from a short distance away and was smiling. She was proud of Celine for what she had done. Instead of getting angry, which Tess was sure Celine would do, Celine surprised her by trying to share her faith with someone who was trying to hurt her.

"You did a good job, baby." Tess told her, once Celine had reached her side. "And I know the Father is proud of you."

Celine nodded as she felt a few tears course down her cheeks.

Tess patted Celine's shoulder comfortingly as they reached Cabin C.

When Celine saw Gloria, she ran to her, throwing her arms around Gloria's waist.

"Aw, it's good to see you too, sweetheart." Gloria said, half laughing as she ruffled Celine's dark blond hair lovingly. "How are ya, huh? Are you ready to have some fun?"

Celine let out a sob as she buried her face in Gloria's stomach.

"Celine? What's wrong, honey?" Gloria asked, picking the young girl up and hugging her close. "Did something happen?"

Celine just continued to cry, giving Gloria the answer she needed.

"All right, shh, it's okay, sweetheart. It's all right now. You're safe. I have you. It's all right. Come on." With that, Gloria picked Celine up and carried her over to where Tess was standing, signing kids in.

As Gloria approached, she gave her superior a puzzled look before glancing down at Celine.

Tess shook her head and pointed to the cabin.

Gloria got the gist and carried Celine over to their cabin before ducking inside. The other girls had gone to explore the camp and sign up for various activities.

Once inside, Gloria sat down with Celine in her lap and waited for Tess to join them.

Tess joined Gloria and Celine soon after Gloria had sat down.

"Tess, what happened? Why is Celine so upset?" Gloria asked, slightly rocking the child in her arms.

Tess shook her head.

"Another girl was picking on her, little angel." Tess explained. "Celine wants to enter the talent show at camp and this other girl told her she wasn't any good. She also told Celine that God didn't like her singing either, but Celine told the girl otherwise."

Gloria smiled down at Celine with pride upon hearing this. She knew Celine was very open with her faith and she was proud of her for trying to share it with another person.

"Celine?" Gloria tried, securing the child in her lap a little bit more comfortably. "Celine, you know what that girl said wasn't true right?"

Celine shrugged as another sob escaped her lips.

Gloria frowned as she tried to think of another way to make Celine feel better.

"Celine, honey, I think you sing beautifully, so does Tess. But it doesn't matter what we think, you know why?"

Celine shook her head as the tears continued to stream down her face.

"It doesn't matter what we think because God already thinks you sing beautifully. Actually, God knows you sing beautifully. He knows because He gave you the gift. And He wants you to share it with others. And the best way to do that, is for you to enter the talent show. I think you should sign up for it. You would be great!"

"Tell that to Hillary." Celine sniffed. "I don't stand a chance."

"Not with an attitude like that, you don't." Tess agreed, giving Celine a look she knew only too well. "You need to chin up. God will give you what you need when you need it. And let me tell you a little secret. Winning or losing doesn't matter. It doesn't matter because you are already a winner in the Father's eyes. And what Gloria said was right. Gloria is right as rain. Now God has blessed you with some wonderful gifts. And like Gloria said, it's your job to share them with others. And the only way to do that is to try new things. Now what do you say? Gloria and I will help you get ready for it."

Celine still looked hesitant. She glanced at Gloria for the okay and Gloria grinned.

"Tess always does what she says she's going to do. And I know for a fact that we can get you ready for the show."

Celine rewarded Gloria with a small smile.

"Thanks you guys." Celine said, the tiniest of smiles spreading across her face. "I don't know how I could ever thank God for giving me a best friend like you." Celine said this last part as she turned her attention to Gloria.

Gloria grinned as she hugged Celine close.

"I love you too, sweetheart. And the way you can thank God is by doing your best and singing from your heart. That will definitely be thanks enough."

Celine nodded, her mood successfully lifted.

"Then I'll try." Celine said, receiving a hug from Gloria and an encouraging smile from Tess. "I'll try for God."

"Good girl!" Tess praised, patting Celine's shoulder. "That's the spirit! Go get 'em, Celine!"

Celine giggled at this, which made Gloria giggle as well.

Little did Gloria and Tess know that Celine was going to be facing more than just a talent show during these next few weeks. Once more, Celine was going to need a lot more than moral support to get through the next few weeks at camp.


	3. The Consequences of Secrecy

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the characters from TBAA. They belong to Martha Williamson and CBS. Anyone you don't recognize, I do own.

Remember, God loves you!

A/N: This is the third story in my Celine Rose series. I hope everyone likes it! The first story is called Love Can Move Mountains and the second one is called When You Can't Move the Mountain.

In this story, Celine is ten years old.

"In the Father's Eyes"

Chapter 3-The Consequences of Secrecy

Throughout the next few days, Celine practiced during her free time with Tess and Gloria. Gloria would play the piano and Tess would coach Celine on singing. Sometimes, Gloria would coach Celine alone, depending if Tess had other matters to attend to or not. But most of the time, it was both Tess and Gloria who were helping her.

At dinner that Wednesday night, Gloria approached Tess, wanting to ask her a question. She was curious about something and she wanted Tess to explain it to her.

As Gloria rounded the corner that led to the mess hall, she saw Tess in her angel form, but she wasn't alone. Getting closer, Gloria could see Tess was talking to Sam.

Standing just a few feet away, Gloria decided to listen in. She knew it was wrong, but her curiosity was getting the better of her and she really wanted to know what was going on.

Tess hadn't been acting herself lately and Gloria was really starting to worry about her. The elder angel had been acting more affectionate towards Gloria then usual.

For example, Tess had been hugging Gloria out of nowhere lately and not even scolding Gloria when she was late to help Celine.

It was like Tess was trying her best to be as nice to Gloria as possible, but for what reason, Gloria didn't know. She knew Tess loved her, there was no doubt about that, but Gloria also knew there was another reason behind Tess's sudden change in attitude towards her and she was determined to find out what it was. Little did Gloria know the bad news she was about to receive.

As Gloria stood there, trying to listen in, she heard her name being called from behind her.

"Gloria! Gloria, come quick!" It was Celine and her tone was one of urgency.

Gloria tore her attention away from the two angels and focused it on Celine.

"Celine, honey, what's wrong?" Gloria asked, sensing the panic in Celine's voice.

"It's Melody! I think she's having an asthma attack!" With that, Celine led Gloria back to the cabin.

When Gloria got there, she found Melody in a right state. She was coughing and it did sound like she was having trouble breathing.

Gloria took charge immediately. She told the other girls to back away, so that she could examine Melody for herself. She allowed Celine to stay close by, but only because she had been the one to get her and Gloria knew Celine could follow instructions well.

Melody's chestnut brown hair was sticking to her cheeks, which were perspiring with sweat from the effort to breathe properly. Her brown eyes were full of fear as she gazed into Gloria's kind and compassionate eyes, identical in color to her own.

"Melody, it's going to be okay, sweetheart. I promise. You need to listen to me though, okay? Can you do that, honey?"

Melody nodded as she coughed a few times.

"All right, good girl. Now, I want you to try and take a deep breath for me. It's okay. I'm not leaving you and neither is Celine. We're right here."

"You can do it, Melody." Celine encouraged her best friend of the last two years. She had known Melody since she was eight back when the two had first come to camp together.

"Gloria…It hurts!" Melody gasped in between labored breaths. "It…really hurts!"

"I know it does, sweetheart, I know. I'm gonna try and help you, but you need to listen to me. Now, I need you to try and take a deep breath." Gloria repeated, her voice full of compassion and urgency.

Melody tried, succeeding the second time.

"Good girl. That's a girl. Now, I need you to tell me where it hurts." Gloria instructed, preparing to examine the young girl.

Melody pointed to her chest as she started coughing again.

"It feels tight!" Melody told her, a few tears coursing down her cheeks.

"Shh, it's okay, sweetie. You're gonna be okay. Celine, can you get Melody's inhaler for her, please?" Gloria asked, turning to Celine.

Celine didn't need to be asked twice. She jumped up and retrieved Melody's lifesaver from her backpack. She handed it to Gloria upon returning to her side.

"Thanks, honey." Gloria said, wanting Celine to know she had done well.

Celine nodded, her attention once again on Melody.

"Gloria, please say you can help her! Please!" It was then that Celine glanced over and saw Andrew standing there. She shook her head as if it would make him go away.

"All right, sweetheart. Now, I want you to take it slow with this, okay?" Gloria instructed, referring to Melody.

Melody nodded as she took the object from Gloria.

After Melody had used her inhaler, she started feeling better. Her breathing went back to normal and her chest started to untighten as well.

Celine breathed a sigh of relief as she sat by Melody's side. She sent a silent prayer of thanks up to God for keeping Melody safe.

"Thank you, Father, thank you." Celine whispered, smiling when she saw Andrew had disappeared.

"Amen to that." Gloria replied, sitting next to Celine on her right. "And thanks to you too." Gloria said, turning to Celine. "If you hadn't come and gotten me when you did…" Gloria's voice trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Celine shivered, just thinking about it. She glanced up at the door once again, as though assuring herself that Andrew had indeed left.

Gloria caught Celine staring towards the door and she knew exactly what had happened, even though Celine wasn't saying anything.

Just then, Tess arrived. She had heard about what had happened and she wanted to make sure Melody was okay.

"Is everyone all right in here?" Tess asked in concern. "Melody, baby, are you all right?"

Melody nodded as she took a deep breath and managed a tiny smile for Tess.

"I am now." She said, turning to smile at Celine. "Thanks to Celine and Gloria."

Tess nodded and gave Celine a smile as well.

"Celine's a very special little girl. And so are you." Tess said, glancing at Melody.

Melody nodded.

"Okay girls," Gloria said, turning to her two charges, "I think we should turn in early tonight. It's been a long day and Melody needs her rest."

Neither Celine nor Melody argued with Gloria on that point.

Celine looked at Gloria with hope in her eyes just then.

"Gloria, can Melody and I sleep in the same bed, please? We won't make it a habit, but it's just that…" Celine's voice trailed off as she fought the tears back.

Gloria nodded and gave Celine a hug. She understood completely.

"No need to explain, sweetheart. I understand. Of course you can."

Celine gave Gloria a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Gloria!" Celine said, throwing her arms around Gloria's neck. "Thank you."

"Aw, you're welcome, sweetheart."

"Yeah, thanks, Gloria. You're the best." Melody replied, giving Gloria a small hug.

"It's my pleasure. Now, why don't you two get ready for bed and I'll sing you a song."

Celine grinned at this. She loved it whenever Gloria sung to her.

After the two girls were safely tucked in, Gloria decided to get some reading done. She had brought a book with her and she wanted to finish the chapter she had left off on.

As Gloria sat there, she couldn't concentrate on the story. She had too much on her mind.

Heaving a sigh, Gloria closed the book and put it away. She knew she couldn't leave her cabin, just in case one of the girls needed her, but she figured sitting outside of it wouldn't hurt.

Sitting down on the steps, Gloria sighed. She gazed up at the stars and let another sigh escape her lips.

"Oh Father, please help me. I'm so confused and afraid. I don't know what's going on and that scares me. I know something's wrong with Tess and I want to help her, but she won't let me. I just want to help. I don't like seeing Tess or Monica upset. Please, help me to help Tess. And please, keep Monica safe and let her return soon. Amen."

"The Father knows you want to help." A familiar voice said from just to the right of Gloria.

Gloria jumped at the noise, but relaxed upon seeing Tess there. She breathed a sigh of relief and gave her a hopeful look.

"Tess, please talk to me. I want to help you. I love you. Please." Gloria pleaded, tears in her voice.

"Oh Gloria, come here, little angel." Tess said, reaching her arms out to the distraught younger angel.

Gloria did so, letting Tess hold her without complaint.

"I know you're afraid and confused, baby. The Father knows it too. And in His time, you'll understand everything that's taking place here."

"But Tess, I feel like I'm losing you and I don't want that! I've already lost so much!" Gloria cried, the tears coming steady and fast.

"You're not losing me, little angel. I can honestly tell you that." Tess said, hugging Gloria close. "Do you know why I've been trying extra hard to understand you better these last few days?"

Gloria shook her head.

Tess sighed as she tried to think of a way to tell Gloria the answer without telling her too much.

"Well it's because when I do have to leave you, you know I love you. I don't want you thinking otherwise."

"No! You can't leave! Please don't…" Gloria's voice trailed off, giving way to sobs once again.

Tess shook her head as she tried to calm Gloria down.

"Gloria, shh, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere just yet. I promise. You're stuck with me for the next few weeks."

This only made Gloria cry harder. She was certain Tess was going to leave her and she didn't want that to happen.

"See! You are leaving me!" Gloria cried, the tears blinding her vision for a minute.

"No, not yet, little angel." Tess assured Gloria. "Not yet. Now, why don't you and I get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us."

Gloria shook her head. She wasn't in the mood to sleep and her sadness and fear was soon replaced by anger. She pushed away from Tess and stood up before going back into the cabin. She set her sleeping bag up next to where Melody and Celine were sleeping, just in case they needed her.

Once everything was set up, Gloria laid down and tried to sleep herself. She knew the days ahead were going to be hard and she needed all the rest she could get.

Back outside, Tess sighed as she gazed up at the Heavens above.

"Father, please, help us to get through this. Please, help Gloria to know I love her. Please." With that, Tess went back inside to check on her little angel as well as the rest of the campers.

When Tess arrived inside, the sight that met her eyes, made her smile, despite herself. Gloria was fast asleep, Celine's right hand in hers.

As Tess bent down and pulled the covers up around Gloria, she kissed her cheek before stroking her hair gently.

"I love you, Gloria. I love you so much, little angel. I hope you know that. I'm so sorry for what's going on. But you'll understand in time. By the grace of God, you'll understand soon."


End file.
